The implementation of our research

Social medicine is point of care in Oman, a country in which public health has dramatically improved in the last few decades. However, recessive genetic diseases such as hemoglobinopathies remain a substantial burden in the country. Prevention can be dramatically improved by offering prenatal diagnosis and for this, comprehensive molecular studies are required. As mentioned, Oman is a country with a wide range of ethnic groups (3) and thus an extensive spectrum of mutations is expected. Knowledge of the distribution of these mutations is essential in health care planning and management of diseases with a complex molecular pathology such as the hemoglobin disorder. For this, an accurate database with all patients and carriers in all regions with hematological and molecular analysis is needed to aid in the treatment and prevention programs. Advances in this field will be a breakthrough in applied public health science and will put Oman at the state of the art level in treatment and prevention of hemoglobinopathies among Arab countries and worldwide. The aim of this thesis is to

2

contribute to this process, to reduce the birth prevalence of sickle cell disease, beta- and alpha- thalassemia in the country, with a relevant gain in public health as well as a substantial reduction in treatment related expenses for severely affected patients that are and might dramatically increase in the near future if primary prospective prevention is not implemented (22).

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PREVEnTIOn In EnDEMIC